Strip folding device



Nov. 7, 1967 R. 1.. BEARD ET AL STRIP FOLDING DEVICE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Oct.

INVENTORS RALPH L. BEARD JAMES F. HESTER ATTORNEYS Nov. 7, 1967 R. L. BEARD ET AL .STRIP FOLDING DEVICE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 5, 1965 RALPH L. BEARD JAMES F. HESTER Q D y F ATTORNEYS United States Patent Office 3,351,339 Patented Nov. 7, 1967 3,351,339 STRIP FOLDING DEVICE Ralph L. Beard and James F. Hester, Winston-Salem, N.C., assignors to Hanes Corporation, Winston-Salem, N.C., a corporation of North Carolina Filed Oct. 5, 1965, Ser. No. 493,060 3 Claims. (Cl. 270-94) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A device for forming a single-layer strip of material into a multilayer strip of material having two continuous guide channels, each channel having a U-shaped interior and having a top portion and two side portions. In each channel the top portion diminishes from an initial width to approximately zero while the side portions increase from approximately zero to one-half of the initial width of the top portion of that channel. Extensions of the outer sides of the first channel form the entrance opening of the second channel and continue to form the boundaries of the top portion of the second channel wherein the said top portion of the second channel is angularly displaced relative to the axis of the first channel.

This invention relates to a device for folding a single layer of material to form a multilayer strip of material, and more particularly, it relates to a unitary compact device for folding a single layer of strip material to form a multilayer strip material which may be employed as a collaret for a slipover garment such as a T-shirt.

Devices have heretofore been known for folding a single layer of strip material into a multilayer strip. However, the previous folding devices have not been satisfactory.

A first type of known folding device is the center-folding type in which the two side edges of the strip are turned inwardly to meet at the center line of the strip. If a four-layer strip is desired, the once folded strip is folded again, this time at the center line. In the four-layer strip formed by this method, the two original strip edges are located in the two central layers of the multilayer strip.

A second type of known folding device folds a strip of material along its center line to form a two-layer strip from a single layer strip wherein the two orginal strip edges are located at one side of the two-layer strip rather than along the center-line thereof. If it were desired to form a four-layer strip having the two original strip edges located in the two outer layers rather than the two central layers, it was necessary to employ two different folding devices of the second type, arranged separately in series, with the strip passing completely through one device, and then entering the second device where the once folded strip was folded again to form a four-layer strip. This procedure is unsatisfactory since it requires the use of a plurality of folding devices, making the folding operation costly and complicated.

In forming a folded strip of material to be employed as a collaret for a slipover type garment such as a T-shirt, the previously known folding devices have proved unsatisfactory. Since only side of the garment is normally exposed, it is preferable to have the portions of the folded strip placed on the exposed side of the garment of a more pleasing appearance than the portions of the unexposed side. Further, to provide a collaret strip of maximum durability it is desirable to have each of the strip layers con tinuous throughout its width. And finally, in order to provide the greatest protection for the garment itself, it is preferable to have the collaret overlap the garment edge for the full width of the collaret.

Previous strip folding devices have been unable to provide a strip which would fulfill the above requirements. In the strip formed by the centerfolding type of device, the two original strip edges are located on the two center layers. When this strip is applied to the edge of a garment in the normal manner with two of the layers on each side of the garment, that is, straddling the garment edge, one original strip edge falls on each side of the garment. Consequently the collaret so formed is not of as pleasing an appearance as if both of the original strip edges were placed on the unexposed side of the garment. Also, only one layer of the strip would cover the very edge of the garment at which the greatest wear would occur.

By the second type of known folding device a mere two-layer strip is formed. And, as noted earlier it is impractical to employ the second type of known strip folding device to form a four-layer strip.

In our United States Patent, No. 3,296,627, issued Jan. 10. 1967, a novel collaret for the neck opening of garments of the slipover type is disclosed. In the collaret there disclosed the two original strip edges are located in the outer two layers of a four-layer strip. These two layers can be then be placed on the unexposed side of the garment and the two other layers placed on the exposed side to provide a more pleasing garment appearance. Also the continuous double layer on both sides of, as well as at the very edge of, the garment edge provides a more durable structure.

The present invention is directed to a folding device which overcomes the difiiculties of the previous devices by providing, in a single compact unit, a device for folding a single-layer strip of material into a four-layer strip of material which may be employed as a collaret for a T-shirt or other slipover garments in the manner disclosed in the copending application referred to above, wherein the two original strip edges are located in two adjacent outer layers rather than in the two central layers, and the layers of the collaret are continuous over both sides and at the edge of the garment.

It is an object of this invention to overcome the disadvantages of the previous strip folding devices by providing a compact unitary device for forming a single-layer strip of material into a multilayer strip which may be employed as a collaret for a slipover garment such as a T- shirt.

Another object of this invention is to provide a novel strip folding attachment.

Another object of this invention is to provide a means for forming a four-layer strip of material having the two original strip edges located in two outer adjacent layers.

A further object of this invention is to provide a strip folding device having a plurality of folding portions which are interconnected to provide smooth flow paths for the strip from one portion to the next.

It is still another object of this invention to provide a strip folding device having two folding portions wherein material passing through one portion passes immediately and directly into the second folding portion for a second folding operation.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent during the following description given with relation to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a typical embodiment of this invention.

FIG. 2 illustrates the shape of the strip of material being folded by the device as shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is another perspective view of the embodiment of this invention shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is still another perspective view of the embodiment of this invention shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a cross sectional view taken on line 55 of FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a cross sectional view taken on line 6-6 of FIG. 4.

FIG. 7 is a cross sectional view taken on line 77 of FIG. 4.

FIG. 8 is a cross sectional view taken on line 8-8 of FIG. 4.

The device of the present invention comprises two channel folding portions, or guide channels, each having a generally U-shaped cross section wherein the legs of the U are zero at the entrance end of the channel and gradually become deeper as the channel progresses. The first channel folding portion has an open flared end for receiving a single layer of strip material. As the first channel progresses the top portion of the channel connecting the legs of the U-shaped channel gradually decreases while the depth of the legs of the U gradually increase until, at the delivery end of the first channel, the two legs of the U are long enough so that together they accommodate the entire width of the strip, and the top portion connecting the legs of the U is reduced to substantially zero. Thus, at the exit end of the first guide channel the strip will have been folded into a two-layer strip in which the plane of the layers are perpendicular to the plane of the original strip material as it enters the flared end of the first channel.

The once folded strip then proceeds through a second guide channel which is constructed in a manner similar to the first guide channel. Since the width of the twolayer strip entering the sec-ond guide channel is one-half the original strip width, the entrance to the second folding portion is substantially one-half the width of the entrance to the first guide channel. Also, since the second channel receives the once folded strip in a plane perpendicular to the plane of the strip as it enters the first channel; the axial, or longitudinal plane bisecting the second channel folding portion must be perpendicular to the axial, or longitudinal plane bisecting the first channel folding portion. In the second guide channel, as in the first the side legs of the U are zero at entrance to the channel and gradually increase as the channel progresses, while the top portion, that is the portion connecting the legs of the U, decreases in width until it is substantially zero at the exit end of the second channel portion. At this point the side legs of the U contain substantially the entire width of the strip member.

The rate at which the width of the top portion of the second U-channel decreases (and conversely the rate at which the depth of the legs of the U increases) is one factor governing the smoothness of the strip flow path. The smaller the rate of change of the width of the top portion in the direction of travel of the strip, the smoother will be the flow of the strip through the channel. Since the second channel carries an additional layer of material, a smoother guide channel is required. This is accomplished by providing in the second guide channel, a top portion of the U which decreases in width at a smaller rate than in the first guide channel. For example, in one embodiment of the folding device the width of the top portion of the first channel decreases approximately from four inches to zero in three inches along the axis of the Ushaped channel, while the second channel, which receives a folded strip one-half the width of the first channel, decreases from two inches to zero in three inches along the axis of the second U-shaped channel. Thus, in this embodiment the rate of decrease of the width of the top portion of the second channel is onehalf the rate of the first channel.

In providing a device which carries a strip of material through a plurality of folding steps, it is important that the flow in each channel and in the transition portion from one channel to the next be as smooth as possible so that tearing of the strip material will be avoided.

The folding device is constructed in such a manner as to assure this smooth flow of the strip through the channels. The device is preferably constructed from a sheet material such as sheet metal although other sheet materials may be used. Each of the channel portions are first shaped out of a separate piece of material to conform to the shape of a mandrel which would represent the internal flow path of the channel through which the strip:

would travel. The entire piece of sheet material would first be placed below the mandrel and then bent around the mandrel, first forming the bottom wall of the top portion, then forming the legs of the U, and then the upper wall of the top portion, leaving a space between the edges of the piece of sheet material as they meet at the upper wall of the top portion of the channel. As will be discussed in more detail below, this space serves as a means to initially load the strip into the folding device.

The two separately formed channel portions are then welded together by carefully uniting the inlet portion of the second channel to the outlet portion of the first channel so that the top and bottom walls of the top portion of the second guide channel are formed as extensions of the outside walls of the legs of the U of the first guide channel.

The second channel should be welded to the first so.

that the top portion of the second channel does not continue along the axis of the first channel; but rather,

In forming channel members it is important to control T both the thickness of the channels and the contour of the corners where the top and the leg portions of the U-shaped channel come together. If the thickness of the channel is too small the strip will get caught between the channel walls and stop flowing smoothly. If, on the other hand, the thickness is too great, the channel will not guide the strip properly, and the strip would either fail to fold properly or become. entangled within the channels. The corners at which the top and legs of the channel meet should be rounded so that the strip does not tear as it rides over the edges of the top portion into the legs of the U-shaped channel as the strip progresses lengthwise through the channel.

While the top and the legs of the U-shaped channel portions should each be generally planer, the angle formed by the juncture of the top and leg portions of the channel will depend on the desired. position of the strip as it emerges from the channel. If, as in the first channel portion, it is desired to have the folded strip layers come together along a line slanting from the forward tip of the top of the channel back towards the channel entrance, then the side legs of the U must form an acute angle with the top portion. If on the other .hand it is desired that the emerging layers slant from the forward tip of the top of the channel away from the channel entrance, as in the second channel portion, then the side legs of the U may form an obtuse angle with the top portion of the channel.

As the twice folded, or multilayer strip is delivered from the second guide channel it is necessary to control its subsequent travel. For this purpose a slot may be.

formed at the delivery end of the second guide channel. In one embodiment of the present invention a slotted projection extends from the inside walls of the second channel leg portions in a direction away from the top portion of the second guide channel in the plane which bisects the second U-shaped channel and .in a direction perpendicular to the axis of the second channel. The thickness of the slot should be so chosen as to bring the two sides of the twice folded strip together, stabilizing them and placing them in proper position for mounting, for example as a collaret on the edge of a garment.

It will normally be desirable to mount the folding device on a fixed apparatus; for instance, on a sewing machine which would sew the folded strip to the edge of a garment as a collaret. For this purpose a fiat plate is soldered to a fiat portion of the folding device, and a mounting bracket is attached to the flat plate.

As noted earlier the edges of the sheet material members which are shaped to form the channels may be spaced apart where they meet along the upper wall of the top portion of the U-shaped channels. This space will provide a longitudinal slot into which a finger member may be inserted to assist in loading the strip into the device. One of the slots should be extended into the outer wall of a side leg of the other channel portion so that there will always be some exposed point along the path of the strip to assist insertion of the strip into the device. In one embodiment the slot in the top portion of the first channel is extended into the outer walls of the leg portions of the second guide channel.

Referring to FIGS. 1, 3 and 4 the device comprises a unitary strip folder which carries a strip of material 12 from a work receiving end 14 to a work delivery end 16. The work receiving end, as best seen in FIG. 5, is an elongated flared slot 18, the purpose of which is to ease the flow of strip material into the device.

The device consists basically of two folding portions, a first folding portion 20 and a second folding portion 22. The first folding portion 20 has a generally U-shaped cross-section, as seen best in FIG. 6. As shown in FIG. 6 the channel is actually of an inverted U-shaped construction having a top portion 26 and two side portions, inner side portion 28 and outer side portion 30. Each of the side portions of the channel is formed by an inner and outer wall. Inner side portion 28 is formed by inner wall 34 and outer wall 35 and the outer side 30 is formed by inner wall 32 and outer wall 33.

The strip material is initially a flat single layer as it enters the first channel portion 20 through the flared entrance 18. As the channel portion 20 progresses in the direction of movement of the strip material, the top portion 26 gradually decreases in width while the side portions 28 and 30 each gradually become deeper, until finally at the delivery end 25 of the first guide channel, the width of the top portion 26 will have become substantially zero and the entire width of the strip of material will be carried within the two side portions 28 and 30, as seen in FIG. 7.

The inner walls 32 and 34 of the sides 28 and 30 meet at the apex line 36. FIG. 7 shows the two side portions 28 and 30 immediately before the apex line 36. As the strip material passes the line 36 the two layers of strip material in sides 28 and 30 emerge from the first guide channel and contact each other to form a strip of material having two layers, each half the width of the strip as it originally entered the flared slot 18.

The two-layer strip now enters the second folding portion 22. It is important in providing the transition from the first folding portion 20 to the second folding portion 22 to assure that the material flows smoothly without snags or tears.

This smooth transition is provided by forming the portions of the second folding portion 22 from specifically constructed extensions of the first folding portion. Referring to FIG. 6 it is seen that the two sides 28 and 30 of the first guide channel each have inner walls 32 and 34 and outer walls 33 and 35. While the inner walls 32 and 34 converge at line 36 the outer walls 33 and 35 continue onward into the second folding portion 22. The outside wall 35 of inner portion 28 continues past the juncture 39 of the two folding portions to become the upper wall 42 of the second guide channel 22 while the outside wall 33 of outer side portion 30 extends past the juncture 39 and becomes the lower wall portion 44 of the second guide channel 22. The second guide channel is constructed to receive the once folded strip at 39 and direct it sideways at an angle to the axis of the first guide channel. This will tend to stabilize the once folded strip as it enters the second guide channel 22. The second guide channel 22 then progresses in a manner similar to the first guide channel. The two side portions of the inverted U, 46 and 48 as seen in FIG. 8, each become deeper while the top portion 40 of the U-shaped channel 22 diminishes in width until finally at the delivery end, as the strip issues from the second guide channel substantially all of the strip is contained in the two legs 46 and 48 of the second guide channel. The two central layers now come in contact to form a fourlayer strip of material with the two original edges 13 and 15 located in two adjacent external layers.

A slot 50 may be provided at the end of the second folding portion adjacent the delivery end 16 to control the travel of the multilayer strip as it issues from the folding device. In FIG. 1 the strip 12 is shown at 12' as it would appear after the strip is directed through the slot 50. The positions of edges 13 and 15 reverse as 13 becomes the outside edge at 13'. Prongs 51 located at the exterior side of slot 50 will keep the strip 12 within the slot 50 as the strip progresses therethrough.

The device may serve as an attachment and be connected to a fixed member such as a sewing machine by any suitable means. One such means is shown in FIG. 1. A bracket 54 having a slot 57 is screwed to a plate 53 on the device 10. The plate 53 may be welded to the side of the device 10. The device may then be secured to the fixed member by placing, in slot 57, a portion of the fixed member, and securing the bracket by tightening set screw 58.

Slots 60 in the walls of the guide channels, provided throughout the length of the folding device, aid in loading the strip of material into the folding device.

It will now be apparent to those skilled in the art that the apparatus of the present invention provides a reliable device for accurately and economically folding a strip of material into a multilayered strip of material having the original strip edges located in adjacent exterior layers and which may be employed as an improved collaret for the edge of a garment.

This invention has been described in detail with particular reference to a preferred embodiment thereof, but it will be understood that variations and modifications can be effected within the spirit and scope of the invention as described hereinabove, and as defined in the appended claims.

Having now particularly described our invention that we desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States and what we claim is:

l. A device for forming a single-layer strip of material into a multilayer strip of material comprising, first and second guide channels, each channel having a receiving end and a delivery end spaced from the receiving end, and each channel having a generally U-shaped cross-section taken in a plane perpendicular to a longitudinal axis through the respective channel, each channel comprising side portions forming the legs of the U and a top portion forming the connection between the legs of the U, wherein the width of the top portion of the U of each of the first and second channels diminishes from an initial width at the receiving end of the channel to approximately zero at the delivery end of the channel and the length of the said side portions forming legs of the U each increased from approximately zero at the receiving end of the channel to approximately one-half of the said initial width of the top portion of that channel at the saiddelivery end of the channel, each said side portion of the first channel having an inner wall and an outer wall, said inner walls meeting at the said delivery end and said outer walls having extension members extending past the said delivery end, the receiving end of 7 the said second channel connecting to the said delivery end of the first guide channel wherein the top portion of the U of the said second guide channel is formed by the said extension members of the said outer walls of the side portions of the first guide channel, and wherein the said top portion of the second channel is angularly displaced with respect to the plane bisecting the generally U-shaped first guide channel.

7 2. -A folding device as set forth in claim 1 in which a longitudinal plane bisecting the generally U-shaped first guide channel is substantially perpendicular to a longitudinal plane bisecting the generally U-shaped second guide channel.

3. A device as set forth in claim 1 in which the side portions of the second guide channel have inner walls, and a slot is attached to the said inner walls of the sec- 0nd guide channel at the delivery end thereof, said slot directing the strip issuing from the second channel in the longitudinal plane which bisects the second guide channel.

References Cited EUGENE R. CAPOZIO, Primary Examiner.

P. WILLIAMS, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A DEVICE FOR FORMING A SINGLE-LAYER STRIP OF MATERIAL INTO A MULTILAYER STRIP OF MATERIAL COMPRISING, FIRST AND SECOND GUIDE CHANNELS, EACH CHANNEL HAVING A RECEIVING END AND A DELIVERY END SPACED FROM THE RECEIVING END, AND EACH CHANNEL HAVING A GENERALLY U-SHAPED CROSS-SECTION TAKEN IN A PLANE PERPENDICULAR TO A LONGITUDINAL AXIS THROUGH THE RESPECTIVE CHANNEL, EACH CHANNEL COMPRISING SIDE PORTIONS FORMING THE LEGS OF THE U AND A TOP PORTION FORMING THE CONNECTION BETWEEN THE LEGS OF THE U, WHEREIN THE WIDTH OF TOP PORTION OF THE U OF EACH OF THE FIRST AND SECOND CHANNELS DIMINISHES FROM AN INITIAL WIDTH AT THE RECEIVING END OF THE CHANNEL TO APPROXIMATELY ZERO AT THE DELIVERY END OF THE CHANNEL AND THE LENGTH OF THE SAID SIDE PORTIONS FORMING LEGS OF THE U EACH INCREASED FROM APPROXIMATELY ZERO AT THE RECEIVING END OF THE CHANNEL TO APPROXIMATELY ONE-HALF OF THE SAID INITIAL WIDTH OF THE TOP PORTION OF THAT CHANNEL AT THE SAID DELIVERY END OF THE CANNEL, EACH SAID SIDE PORTION OF THE FIRST CHANNEL HAVING AN INNER WALL AND AN OUTER WALL, SAID INNER WALLS MEETING AT THE SAID DELIVERY END AND SAID OUTER WALLS HAVING EXTENSION MEMBERS EXTENDING PAST THE SAID DELIVERY END, THE RECEIVING END OF THE SAID SECOND CHANNEL CONNECTING TO THE SAID DELIVERY END OF THE FIRST GUIDE CHANNEL WHEREIN THE TOP PORTION OF THE U OF THE SAID SECOND GUIDE CHANNEL IS FORMED BY THE EXTENSION MEMBERS OF THE SAID OUTER WALLS OF THE SIDE PORTIONS OF THE FIRST GUIDE CHANNEL, AND WHEREIN THE SAID TOP PORTION OF THE SECOND CHANNEL IS ANGULARLY DISPLACED WITH RESPECT TO THE PLANE BISECTING THE GENERALLY U-SHAPED FIRST GUIDE CHANNEL. 